Leaders | Financial crisis in Cairo
Egypt doesn’t deserve a bail-out, but should get one
The Middle East cannot afford the collapse of its most populous country
![An Egyptian vendor sits behind half of a poster of Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, the Egyptian president, in Cairo](https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/content-assets/images/20240203_LDP001.jpg)
The prospects for war or peace in the Middle East depend on many actors: America, the Houthis, Iran, Israel, the Palestinians, Saudi Arabia and others. But one country is more important than most people realise: Egypt.
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This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline “Pyramid scheme”
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